Wire rope making machine



Feb. 5, 1935. A. J. MORGAN 1,990,082

WIRE ROPE MAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 19, 19:52

4i EQZMQIIVVENTORM ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 5, 1935' 1, 2

umrso STATES PATENT orrlce 1,990,082 7 wnm nors MAKING momma Archibald J. Morgan, Trenton, N. 1., assignor to John A. Roeblings Sons Company, Trenton, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 19, 1932, Serial No. 638,447 4 Claims. (Cl, 117-20) This invention relates to an improved closing continuous ring preferably will be free to rotate head for making wire strand or rope'in which the under the pressure of the wires or strands or be individual wires or strands are laid up helically mechanically rotatedso as to relieve the friction about a core and compressed by a squeezer in thereon which otherwise would result. from the closing. rotating movement of the wires or strands in 5 The object of the invention is to provide a closing, and to present new surfaces of the die construction which shall avoid the objections into the wires or strands continually and thus avoid herent in previous closing devices employing a unequal wear and deformation of the entrance squeezer, and further to provide a construction portions-of the die. suitableby simple adjustment for being used for For a full understanding of the invention, there producing preformed rope, that is, rope in which is shown in the accoinpanying drawing a closing permanent helices are formed'as or before the head embodying the invention in a preferred wires or strands are laid up on the core, or the form and this construction will now be described ordinary standard rope withoutsuch permanent in detail and the features forming the invention helices. then specifically pointed out in the claims.

In order to produce the required pressure on In the drawing: the strand or rope, the squeezer is necessarily Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the clossplit to form a gap between them so that one half ing head; and may be forced towards the other to produce the Figures 2 and 3 are sections on the lines 2, 3 pressure required. The two halves of the squeezof Figure 1, looking respectively towthe left and er, therefore, do not fit together tightly enough right in Figure 1'. to prevent the opening or edges on either side In the drawing, A is the closing head of a of the gap affecting the character of the strand rope making machine, which may be of any suitor rope. Another difilculty with the squeezer has able type, this closing head carrying guide rollers been found in the fact that the squeezer will lose 10 mounted in blocks 11 secured in the closing 5 its true circular interior form after a considerhead A by bolts 12, the core wire a: passing cenable period of use so that the strand or rope is trally through the closing head A and the outnot properly formed unless new squeezers be subside wires orv strands 11 passing from the usual stituted comparatively frequently. supply spools over the guide rollers 10 to the clos- .I avoid these difficulties with the squeezer closing point on the core 2:. o ing construction by using with the squeezer a The usual split squeezer B formed of two die made in the form of a continuous ring, halves and mounted in the squeezer support C through which the wires or strands pass before and adjustable to secure the required pressure reaching the squeezer, the die opening through on the strandor rope 2 by screw 13 is shown,

5 this ring being of such size as to properly close this being adjustable axially in the frame D by the wires or strands on the core, but not to exert screw 14 with hand wheel 15 and locking screw the adjustable pressure thereon which is secured 16, as usual in such constructions. In advance by the squeezer. The ring forming this die prefof the squeezer B, so that the wires or strands erably has rounded edges on the side at which :i:, 1/ pass through thisbefore reaching the squeez= the wires or strands enter the die. er, is a die E formed of a solid ring of metal pref The die and squeezer are made adjustable axerably having the rounded entrance edges 17 on ially of the machine, so that the die may be which the wires or strands y are bent in enterpositioned with the squeezer at any distance deing the die, and this die I: preferably, as shown, sired from the guides over which the wires or is free to rotate on the. entrance end of the 5 strands pass to the die, and preferably such adsqueezer B. It will be understood, however, that justment is suflicient so that either preformed or the die may be secured in position so as to prestandard strand or rope may be made, the die vent rotation. The die is not formed to substanbeing positioned so near the guides axially in tially compress the strand or rope 2 as the strand makin Pr rm Strands 1 rope that the wires or rope passes through it, but the squeezer is re.-

1 Strands are n t guides at S ch an lied upon foisecuring the desired compression angle. as to form in combination with the die of the strand or rope.

permanent helices as the head rotates, thus mak- As shown in the drawing, the squeezer and die ing a dead-lay strand or rope, that is, one in are adjusted in such a relation axially to the which the wiresor strands will not spread out guides 10 as to produce permanent helices in at the end or bird-cage. The die formed by the closing, but the die and squeeze: may be adiusted 56 axially to any position desired for making either preformed or standard strand or rope.

It will be understood that the invention may be used in any type of rope making machine in which the wires or strands are laid up helically to form a strand or rope, either in machines in which the closing head is rotated for forming the helices or the rope is rotated and the closing head stationary. It will be understood, also, that the invention is not limited to the particular construction of closing head shown, but that many modifications may be made therein while retaining the invention as defined by the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a strand or rope closing head, the combination with a split squeezer and guides rela tively orbitally movable with respect to the squeezer over which guides the wires or strands pass to the squeezer, of a die formed or a con tinuous ring located between the squeezer and guides and acting to lay up the wires or strands helically to form strand or rope before passing to the squeezer, and means for varying the angle at which the wires or strands pass from the guides to the die by adjusting the die axially toward and from the guides.

2. In a strand or rope closing head, the combination with a split squeezer and guides relatively orbitally movable withrespect to the squeezer over which guides the wires or strands pass to the squeezer, of a die formed of a continuous ring with rounded entrance edges for the wires or strands located between the squeezer and guides and acting to lay up the wires or strands helically to form the strand or rope be fore passing to the squeezer, and means for varying the angle at which the wires or strands pass from the guides to the die by adjusting the die axially toward and from the guides.

3. In a strand or rope closing head, the comblnation with a split squeezer and guides relatively orbitally movable with respect to the squeezer over which guides the wires or strands pass to the squeezer, of a die formed of a continuous rotatable ring located between the squeezer and guides and acting to lay up the wires or strands helically to form strand or rope before passing to the squeezer, and means for varying the angle at which the wires or strands pass from the guides to the die by adjusting the die axially toward and from the guides.

4. In a strand or rope-making machine, the combination with a closing die having a smooth cylindrical bore whose diameter is slightly greater than the maximum diameter of the finished strand or rope, and having a convexly rounded edge at the entrance end of said bore, a plurality oi guides for the wires or strands, said guides being located in a plane in advance of the closing die and being relatively orbitally movable with respect to the axis of its bore, all of said guide devices being arranged to deliver directly wires or strands at a predetermined, constant but adjustable angle, into tangential contact with the rounded edge of the closing die, whereby each wire or strandjust before it enters the cylindrical bore of the closing die is bent by said rounded edge, and a two-part squeezer having its two parts slightly separated, said squeezer being arranged to squeeze the strand or rope to its finished size immediately on its emergence from the closing die, of means for adjusting the closing die and the squeezer toward or from the orbital plane of the guide devices to vary the angle and point of tangency of each wire or strand at said rounded edge.

ARCHJBALD J. MORGAN. 

